SEE ARTICLE CONCERNING USE OF EISENSTADT DIOCESAN ARCHIVES AT NEWSLETTER 95C=
!

NEWSLETTERS ARE BEING SENT TO 660 ADDRESSEES & 22 NEW MEMBERS

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NOTE TO RECIPIENTS. If you don't want to receive these newsletters, email =20
with message "remove". ("Cancel" will cancel membership,=20
homepage listings and mail.) Send address and listing changes to the same=20
place. Add your full name to email. To join, see our homepage. We can't help=
=20
with non-Burgenland family history. Comments and articles are appreciated.=20
Our staff and web site addresses are listed at the end of newsletter section=
=20
"C". Introductions, notes and articles without a by-line are written by the=20
editor and reflect his views.

This first section of the four section newsletter includes:

* Burgenland Emigrant Rail Travel
* Districts of Vienna
* Virus Warnings and Other Hoaxes
* New York Area German Reference Books
* Plea for Immigrant Stories (Auswandererschicksal)
* Riot in Schattendorf
* Kleinm=FCrbisch Records-G=FCssing District
* See Continuation of Rose Marie Duld Diary (Visit) at 95A
* See Continuation of "First Immigrants" at 95B
* See Ellis Island Record Article at 95C

BURGENLAND EMIGRANT RAIL TRAVEL

I know most of the story of my grandfather Alois Sorger's emigration from th=
e=20
G=FCssing area. He was born in Rosenberg-G=FCssing, went to school there and=
=20
worked in his father's pottery. At some point he apprenticed as a bricklayer=
,=20
but from that time until he emigrated to the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania,=20=
I=20
know least of all. He told me he disliked working in the pottery-his father=20
had many children (10 from 3 wives-2 wives died in childbirth) and was a har=
d=20
taskmaster. They all worked in the pottery from an early age. His Grandfathe=
r=20
Sorger also worked there and a great grandfather died at that address while=20
Alois was growing up. I often wondered how so many people could live in one=20
house (Rosenberg No. 225) until I found out it had been a gasthaus at one=20
time, now in considerable disrepair. I assume the apprenticeship was local=20
and at some point he went to the Szombathely area as a journeyman on=20
construction jobs. There he met friend Stefan Mankos with whom he emigrated.=
=20
They became lifelong neighbors in Allentown. Their Ellis Island entry cards=20
show Egyhazas, Hungary as their point of departure. I assumed for years this=
=20
was the last place they lived and worked in Burgenland, not so.

I recently was involved in a thread on the WGW Query Board. The subject=20
included possible routes to the ports of departure in Germany. I had occasio=
n=20
to research the existing rail lines from the Burgenland and what did I find=20
but that at the time of his departure (1901) Egyhazas (now Egyhazas-Radoc,=20
Hungary) was on the Kormend-Budapest-Vienna line north and was the closest=20
railroad station to G=FCssing. In 1901 this was still all in Hungary, so it=20
made sense that G=FCssing area emigrants would leave from there. I had assum=
ed=20
he left from Jennersdorf or Kormend.

So, if you are using data from those ship lists or entry cards for village o=
f=20
origin, they may be misleading. They may show the place where your ancestors=
=20
boarded a train. I think we can establish the following travel patterns from=
=20
this.=20

Emigrants would not cross a border until or unless they had to. It could cos=
t=20
money to cross a border and there were other problems and requirements=20
involved like customs, permits, visas, etc. Although Austria and Hungary had=
=20
formed the Dual Monarchy-customs duties and permits were still often require=
d=20
to cross the respective borders.

Emigrants would tend to use Hungarian rail service as far as possible. This=20
would mean going to Budapest (if necessary) or to =D6denburg via Steinamange=
r=20
and then on to Vienna for the first border crossing, probably at=20
Wiener-Neustadt or Neustadt as it was then called. Leaving Vienna, the next=20
crossing would most likely be Passau, Germany (on the Danube) and then on to=
=20
Bremen or Hamburg. Train service from Vienna could be either=20
Vienna-Linz-Salzburg-Munich or Vienna-Linz Wels-Passau-Nuremburg. There was=20
also river steamer passage from Budapest to Passau via Vienna (9 to 18 hours=
=20
from Vienna, overnight plus from Budapest). During periods of plague, border=
=20
crossings would be sealed and emigrants could not support themselves for too=
=20
long a period of time waiting for the border to open. In addition, emigrants=
=20
had to show that they had enough money so that they wouldn't become a burden=
.=20
Border crossings were thus traumatic for many.

If you'd like to try to work out your ancestor's possible route, you might=20
check the following dates of rail network completion and then look for the=20
stations nearest your village of origin:

Many if not all emigrants had considerable baggage (steamer trunks) so rail=20
would have been favored. Their route may also have been what their all=20
inclusive ticket may have shown if they had such (available in later periods=
).

Vienna, of course is not part of Burgenland. It is a province all in itself,=
=20
the leading city in an Empire which recognized three capitals, Vienna,=20
Budapest and Prague. Surrounding villages were absorbed as the city expanded=
.=20
Some village names changed or disappeared and others gave their names to=20
today's districts. Many Burgenlanders migrated to Vienna for work and we can=
=20
find references to various districts in ancestral documents. Member Johannes=
=20
Graf () sends me the following:

The Viennese districts and the residential area names, former place names.
(District Number, name, former place name) - () not official names)

With email we have people who don't have anything to say and invent things=20
like false rumors and ask others to pass them on. I guess they get some weir=
d=20
enjoyment out of this. Unfortunately, many believe those rumors (thinking=20
every one on the net is honest) and pass them on to friends. Soon the net is=
=20
clogged with trash. The worst hoaxes are the virus rumors. They have us=20
believing that a virus lurks within every email. Many of our members=20
unknowingly pass these rumors on to other BB members. This is not a good ide=
a=20
unless you are certain there is such a virus. How do you know? Check an=20
expert source. Charles Wardell supplied one recently when he was advised of=20
the "Virtual Card" virus rumor. He writes: 99.9% of these virus warnings are=
=20
hoaxes -- which is dangerous because one then doesn't believe real ones when=
=20
they come (Peter and the wolf).

Margaret also writes: More information on the book "The German Churches of=20
Metropolitan New York"-

Dr. Haberstroh has identified over 400 Protestant and Catholic churches whic=
h=20
have served the German communities in the present five boroughs of New York=20
City, as well as Jersey City and Hoboken, NJ, from the 1600's to the present=
.=20
For each church he gives the year founded, location, whereabouts of records=
,=20
and for Protestant churches, names of pastors. Introductory chapters=20
consider the history of Christian denominations in Germany, the development=20
of the German-American communities and churches of Metropolitan New York, an=
d=20
the nature of German church records. There are illustrations of selected=20
churches and church records. Maps assist the researcher in identifying=20
churches in a particular neighborhood at given dates. Indexes to church name=
s=20
and Protestant pastors, complete this indispensable guide. (For more=20
information) German Genealogy Group, P.O. Box 1004, Kings Park, NY 11754.=20

PLEA FOR IMMIGRANT STORIES

We have almost 700 members. Each received a "Welcome Letter" which included=20
the following paragraph:

"At some point in your research we would appreciate receiving an article=20
("auwandererschicksal-immigrant's story") concerning what you know of the=20
emigration of your Burgenland family. We would be pleased to edit and add=20
such to our newsletter and send a copy to the Burgenland for publication in=20
the Burgenl=E4ndische Gemeinschaft Newsletter (German language newsletter be=
ing=20
distributed to descendants of Burgenland emigrants). A sample "auswanderer"=20
article can be found in our archives in newsletter no. 39A. We've found that=
=20
these articles frequently result in local contacts."

To date we've received about a dozen stories. While under no obligation to d=
o=20
so-sending your story would be a nice way to thank us for our efforts on you=
r=20
behalf. Stories from north and middle Burgenland are particularly needed.

Let me emphasize that data concerning Burgenland immigrants is very scarce.=20
The respective governments did not keep records. What is available has been=20
uncovered through the efforts of organizations like the Burgenlandische=20
Gemeinschaft and the Burgenland Bunch. We now have listings of almost 3000=20
family names, their villages of origin and in a few cases the story of their=
=20
emigration. We receive more names every day, but many facts are lacking. If=20
you'd like to memorialize your immigrant ancestor-send us a story=20
(Auswandererschicksal) of what you know.

EARLY RIOT IN SCHATTENDORF (DISTRICT OF MATTERSBURG)
From:
=20
Dear Mr. Berghold: Thank you for putting my question to the members. I have=
=20
since received 3 replies. It seems that the Austrian Consul General=20
misunderstood, and was talking about a town by the name of Schattendorf, als=
o=20
in Burgenland where an older man and boy were killed by the police, and when=
=20
the police were tried they were found not guilty, and the citizens burned=20
down the courthouse, and in the melee 80-100 people were killed by the=20
police, causing civil unrest. So you have an extremely informed membership,=20
and I appreciate the fast response. Charles Stuparits (ED. Note: It appears=20
riots following unpopular judicial decisions are not restricted to modern=20
times. What is new is the way in which they are handled!)

=20
(ED. Note: Our editors often help members in their research. I am frequently=
=20
copied. I wish I could publish them all, but space just doesn't permit. On=20
occasion I select those which I think are of particular value-those which=20
provide clues as to how to conduct your research. This one involves a small=20
village in the south of Burgenland. It just happens to be the birthplace of=20
my M=FChl-Sorger grandmother. Inhabitants went to church in St. Nikolaus)

Fritz writes: Anne, I had a chance to look through the records of the St.
Nikolaus parish near G=FCssing, and found the following regarding your=20
ancestors.

Marriage on May 18, 1884. Groom: Joannes Thomas, 24, single, domunculus,=20
born and living at Kleinm=FCrbisch no. 40. Bride: Agnes Kroboth, 24, singl=
e,=20
born in Kleinm=FCrbisch, and living in the same village, house no. 45. Best=
=20
men: Joannes Mulczet, farmer, and Joannes Semler, domunculus.

I believe that domunculus means a homesteader, German term "S=F6llner," i.e.=
, a=20
person with a house but little or no land; a cottager or cotter in English.

For this ancestral couple of yours, I found the following births in the same=
=20
records: